QUEZON CITY — The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition has detected hazardous chemicals in plastic balls used to decorate Christmas trees. Often sold without any labeling information and warning, these pretty ornaments from recycled plastic could be packed with some of the most harmful substances found in electronic waste or e-waste.
As part of its sustained advocacy to promote the safety of public health and the environment from chemicals and waste, the group purchased 60 Christmas plastic balls of assorted colors, designs, and sizes from retail stores in Divisoria, Manila City, and Cubao, Quezon City, on November 5. The samples were subsequently screened for substances of concern using a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer.
Out of the 60 Christmas balls analyzed, 57 were found to have high levels of bromine, including 43 with over 15,000 parts per million (ppm) bromine, of which 16 contained bromine above 30,000 ppm. Among the most toxic found was one set of Christmas balls sold for just P48, of which four contained over 100,000 ppm bromine and the remaining two had 89,920 ppm and 90,500 ppm.
The detection of high bromine levels suggests the presence of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in the said ornaments. BFRs are known to leach from products containing them with air inhalation, dust ingestion, diet, and skin contact as main exposure pathways.
Antimony ranging from 1,017 ppm to 19,910 ppm was similarly detected on all items containing bromine, suggesting the presence of antimony trioxide, which is used as a flame retardant in combination with some brominated or chlorinated flame retardants. Also, lead above 100 ppm was likewise detected in 50 samples in the range of 113 ppm to 586 ppm.
The detection of bromine and antimony come as no surprise as electronic devices are often enclosed in plastic casings infused with flame retardant chemicals. Mobile phones, laptops, TVs and other electronics also contain numerous other chemicals, including heavy metals like lead. When recycled, these chemicals are transferred to the new material or product.
“The use of recycled e-waste plastic in a wide array of products such as toys, school supplies, hair accessories, kitchen utensils, and even Christmas ornaments is deeply concerning as this exposes the people, children in particular, to BFRs and other chemicals associated with e-waste,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition. “Plastic recycling should not result in further circulation of hazardous chemicals in commerce and the environment.”
“The discovery by the Ecowaste Coalition of very high levels of bromine in Christmas decorations should be of great concern to environmental regulators and the public alike. These findings are a red flag indicating that these products are probably contaminated with brominated flame retardants that are toxic to humans. The most likely source of these flame retardants is hazardous electronic waste mixing with the recycled plastic stream and contaminating new plastic products,” said Australia-based Lee Bell, Technical and Policy Adviser to the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), which counts on EcoWaste Coalition among its member groups.
Previous testing by IPEN of recycled plastic products has consistently found that those plastic products with high bromine levels were contaminated with brominated flame retardants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which has been banned by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) due to their persistence in the environment and high toxicity to human health. In some cases brominated dioxins were also found in plastic products with high bromine detections and these chemicals are even more toxic at extremely low levels.
“Christmas gatherings should be a time of celebration, family reunion, and sharing of food and presents. Parents should not have to be worried that their children may be exposed to hazardous chemicals when touching Christmas decorations,” the EcoWaste Coalition and IPEN said.
“Government regulators need to audit these products to ensure they are safe to use in the home and that the plastic recycling chain is not becoming contaminated with hazardous waste,” the groups suggested.
“One crucial initial step towards a non-toxic circular economy is to set a strict, low POPs content limit for wastes. This limit should be set at a concentration that prevents recycling of POP-BFRs into new products and stops the export of POP-BFR contaminated wastes and products into low- and middle-income countries,” they added.
